Whenever you spend time bringing your mind to the present moment, and then redirecting it back there whenever you notice that it wandering away, you are practicing mindfulness.
To bring your mind to the present moment, all you need to do is find an anchor for your attention. This can be anything that you can sense using one of your five senses, or it can be a physical sensation like your breath.
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Select a few minutes each day to sit down and meditate. Close your eyes and bring your full attention to where you feel your breath move through your body.
- Each time that you notice that you’ve become distracted by something else, just direct your attention back to your breath. This will happen over and over, so the practice becomes noticing that your mind has wandering, and gently bringing it back.
- Mind wandering is not a mistake or a problem at all, rather it gives you more chances to strengthen your mindfulness “muscle” by directing your attention back to the present.
- Think of meditating like exercise for your mind. Your mind drifting away from the present is like your arm lowering from a bicep curl. Each time you notice it and bring it back to the breath, your arm is curling up and building that muscle. So each random thought becomes another opportunity to become stronger in your practice.
- Select one daily activity to start doing mindfully. Many people enjoy mindfully petting their dog or cat, taking sips of coffee, eating a piece of candy, or even washing their face or brushing their teeth. To bring mindful attention to this activity, simply pay attention to one or more of your five senses, and just like when meditating, every time your mind wanders, gently bring it back to those sensations to come back to the present.
- Mindfulness is most easily learned, and regular practice is most often established, when one participates in a mindfulness course. So if you’re having trouble with mindfulness try to be kind to yourself and don’t give up. It takes time (often 4-6 weeks) to notice the full benefits of mindfulness, so try to stick with it even if you don’t notice any changes right away. Also check out some common mindfulness misconceptions that may be getting in your way.
- If you continue to have trouble, or want to have the best chance of success, a course taught live by a trained mindfulness instructor may be right for you.
If you are interested in integrating mindfulness into your healing journey, we offer individual mindfulness courses where you can learn mindfulness with a dedicated instructor and choose a weekly time that suits you. You can find out more here. Additionally, most of our therapists integrated mindfulness techniques into their therapeutic work. You can find a therapist who is the best fit for you by clicking & filling in the form here.
